OLD KING WINTER'S SONG.
OH, I am the friend of the boys and girls!
I am the fellow they love
When there's plenty of frost on the earth below,
And plenty of sunshine above.
To me they look for the frozen pond,
All ready for skate and slide;
To me they turn with their sleds so swift
For a coasting hill so wide.
There is snow for the sleigh-rides far and near,
And the bells are ringing a chime
Of the merriest music in all the world,
As a tribute to wintertime.
If I kiss the cheeks of the lasses so
That they tingle awhile, what then?
I must have my share of the fun before
The summer shall come again.
I deck the trees with a fringe so bright
That they glisten in sun or shade;
And I scatter my snowflakes in the air
Till they fill each valley and glade;
And, climbing up to the mountaintop,
Each shrub and tree I crown,
And I spread the whitest of covers o'er
The ground so barren and brown.
I'm hoary-headed and old, I know,
But the boys won't care for that;
They're bound to welcome the jolly old King
Who wears the snow-brimmed hat.
For I am the friend of the young and strong,
And a merry old soul am I
When there's plenty of snow on the frozen ground,
And over it all blue sky.
— Youth's Companion.